Battery terminal clamp



March 937- D. E. WILLIAMS ET AL 2,073,980

BATTERY TERMINAL CLAMP Filed May 31, 1935 INVENTOR.

I BY I A TTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 16, 1937 Dean E. Williams and John O. Whiteside, OklahomaCity, Okla", assiguors to General Battery Supply Company, Oklahcorporation of Oklahoma Application May 31, 1935, Serial No. 24,258

5 Claims.

Our invention relates to clamps for connecting a conductor ofelectricity to the post of a usual storage battery.

The prime object of the invention is the pro- 5 vision of a clamp forthe purpose described which is so designed that it maybe constructed ofa soft, non-corrosive material 'such as lead and yet have sufficientstrength to positively engage the battery post.

10 At the present time usual clamps used for this purpose areconstructed of a hard metal subject to corrosion by action of theelectrolyte of the battery. This is done in order to embody suflicientstrength to positively engage the 15 battery post. Previous attemptshave been made to construct cable clamps and connectors of lead in orderto prevent corrosion, but so far as we know or have been able toascertain they have lacked sufficient strength to accomplish a posi- 20tive connection with a battery post.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a device of the classdescribed which is new, novel, practical and of utility; which has arange of adjustment sufficient to connect battery posts of various andusual sizes; which is so designed that positive engagement may be hadwith tapered battery posts, battery post round in cross-section, andalso those which are deformed or are angular in cross-section; whichpositively prevents all corrosion; the moving parts of which areremovable and replaceable; which may be quickly installed; which iseconomical to manufacture; which is durable; and, which will beefficient in accomplishing all the purposes for which it is intended.

With these and other objects in view as will more fully appearhereinbelow, our invention consists in the construction, novel features,and combination of parts hereinafter more fully described, pointed outin the claims hereto appended, and illustrated in the accompanyingone-sheet drawing, of which,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a conventional storagebattery showing our device operatively installed thereon;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the follower or clamping element ofthe device;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of anut which assists in actuating thefollower; and, I

Figure 4 is a sectional view of the yoke or stirrup-shaped element ofthe device, taken substantially along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

' Like characters of reference designate like parts in all the figures.

It is understood that various changes in the invention may be resortedtowithout departing upstanding post or terminal 2 to which an elecl3 areprovided adjacent the inner surface of the 7 width of Y the transversegroove 16 and the folorna City, Okla a form, proportion, size, shape,weight and other details of construction, within the scope of our fromthe spirit or broadprinciple of our invention and without sacrificingany of the advan-' tages thereof; and it is also understood that thedrawing is to be interpreted as being illustrative and not restrictive.

The inventive idea involved is capable of receiving a variety ofmechanical expressions one" of which, for the purpose of illustratingthe invention, is shown in the accompanying drawing wherein:-

The reference numeral l indicates as a whole a conventional storagebattery having a usual tric conductor or cable 3 is to be connected. Thecable 3 usually consists of a. plurality of wires 4 surrounded orencased by insulation 5.

Our clamp consists substantially of a closed ended yoke or substantiallystirrup-shaped element Ill having'at one end a preferably cylindricalprojection II which is fused to the end portions of the wires 4 andwhich preferably extends over the adjacent end portion of the insulation5. The yoke It includes two sidelegs l2 and l3 which are preferablyintegral at one end with the projection II and the other ends of whichare connected together by a crossmember or bridge M which preferably ismade integral with the legs. the bridge 14 is provided with a throughperforation- 15.

The inner surface of each of the legs I2 and bridge Hi with a transversesuperficial groove l6 one end of which is in communication with alongitudinally extending superficial groove l1 and the other end ofwhich communicates with a second and shorter longitudinally extendingsuperficial groove l8. The long and short grooves l1 and I8 are arrangedupon both legs l2 and I3 so that they occur upon similar sides of thelegs. A pocket is thus formed adjacent the inner surface of the bridgeM.

A follower or clamping element 20, best seen in 4 Fig. 2, havinglaterally projecting side flanges 2| at one end and having flanges 22 atits other end similar to flanges 2| except that they are shorter inlength, is slidably disposed within the yoke ID with the longer flanges2| disposed within the longer grooves I1 and with the shorter flanges 22within the shorter grooves I8. The flanges 22 are of a length slightlyless than Intermediate its ends lower can therefore be placed inoperative position in the yoke by inserting its end which bears theflanges 22 through the groove l6 until the yoke due to the flanges 2|and 22 without first,

moving it out of the grooves I I and I8 into the groove l6, and thenmoving the follower longitudinally of the groove iii A nut 25 of adimension suitable to substantially flll the pocket formed by the groove[6 and having a central threaded perforation 26 is disposed within thegroove l6 and a threaded thrust-bolt 21 is passed freely through theperforation IS in bridge ll and is threadedly engaged within theperforation 26. The free end 28 of the bolt 21 bears against theadjacent end 29 of the follower 20 and urges it away from the bridge ll.

The face of the follower 20 which lies most remote from the bridge I 4is provided with an arcuate groove 30 which is of a radius approximatingthe radius of a usual battery post.

' It is intended to construct the element II and follower 20 of a leadcomposition which is noncorrosive, and to construct the nut 25 and bolt21 of any desired material such as iron or steel. Since the follower atall times prevents contact of the bolt or nut with the post 2, it is notnecessary that they be made of non-corrosive material.

It may readily be seen (Fig. 1), that in operation, the nut 25 is drawnby the bolt into engagement with the inner surface of the bridge I, andthat by rotating the bolt 21 its end 28 is driven by the nut intoengagement with the follower which in turn is urged to a clampingengagement with the post 2. Also, that regardless of the cross-sectionform of the post, a positive engagement may be had even though itstransverse dimension varies.

In the drawing herein, the follower 20 and the end of the element Inlying nearest the projection II are illustrated as being formed to fit atapered post. This is preferable although not compulsory.

Obviously, the invention is susceptible of embodiment in forms otherthan that which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing and describedherein, and applicable for uses and purposes other than as detailed, andwe therefore consider as our own all such modifications and adaptationsand other uses of the form of the device herein described as fairly fallwithin the scope of our invention.

Having thus described our invention, what is claimed and desired to besecured by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a battery terminal connector. a yoke of soft non-corrosive metalhaving two side members and adapted at one closed end for connection toan electrical conductor, said yoke having a transverse openingtherethrough for receiving a battery terminal, a screw of a hardermaterial, a bridge at the other end of the yoke having a bore for freelyreceiving said screw, a rectangular pocket within .the opening adjacentthe inner surface of said bridge, oppositely disposed longitudinallyextending guide grooves leading from said pocket and extending towardthe terminal receiving end of the opening at both edges. of both of saidside members, a nut of a hard metal threaded upon said screw,

and a follower of soft non-corrosive metal slidable within the openingtoward and away from said terminal and actuated by said screw, saidfollower comprised of a rectangular block having a plane surface and anopposite arcuately grooved terminal engaging surface, the side edges ofsaid block each having projecting flanges for slidable engagement withinsaid guide grooves, two of said flanges being sufficiently short inlength to permit their passage through the pocket and into registrationwith two of the guide grooves, said follower being held againstinadvertent removal from the yoke by the presence of the nut within thepocket.

2. In a battery connector, the combination with a metal yoke having twoside members, one end member connecting similar ends of the side membersand adapted 'for connection to an electrical conductor, and a bridgeconnecting the opposite ends of the side members, said yoke having anopening between the side and end members for receiving a batteryterminal, of guide grooves extending longitudinally along both inneredges of both of the side members, a rectangular pocket within theopening parallel with and adjacent the inner surface of said bridge andcommunicating with said guide grooves, a slidable follower within saidopening including a rectangular block having an arcuate terminalengaging surface, the side edges of said block each having projectingflanges for slidable engagement within said guide grooves, two of 'saidflanges being sufficiently short in length to permit their passagethrough the pocket and into registration with two of the guide grooves,a rectangular nut within said pocket and acting to prevent re- I movalof the follower, and a' screw passing freely through the bridge, nut,and acting to move the follower in a direction away from the bridge.

3. In a terminal connector: a cable connecting portion; an arcuateterminal receiving portion; an end bridge portion spaced from andopposite said terminal receiving portion; two side members spaced apartand each connecting one endof said terminal receiving portion and oneend of said bridge; an inwardly projecting guide rib on the innersurface of each of said side members extending from said terminalreceiving portion to a point short of said bridge, and forming asubstantially rectangular pocket between their ends and said bridge; afollower member having a groove in each of its sides to co-act with saidguide ribs, and having one arcuate surface to co-act with said terminalreceiving portion, one of its edges being adapted to enter said pocketto permit engagement of its grooves with the guide ribs of said sidemembers; an adjusting screw freely rotatable through a perforation insaid bridge; a nut in said rectangular pocket, substantially the size ofthe pocket, adapted to co-act with said screw; said screw adapted to,

threadedly engaged with the a against removal from-tn having a bore wad-m corrosive metal slidableube lower'in its sliding movementsfla. nutin said yoke adjacent the bridge thereof, gandyan adjusting screwextending through'the bore and carried by said nut with one end thereofin contact with said follower, said not and" screw cooperating with saidguiding means-gtq'iiock'the -IolIoWer screw is in contact vWm;

5. A battery terminalco toward andirom-"said seja t, said members andiollowe'niorfg'iiiding the 101-.

sides and closed ends. one of said ends shaped to form a seat for aterminal. a follower slidable between said sides vtoward and irom saidseat; means formed on. said sides and follower for guiding the followerin its sliding movements, and means detaehably mounted on saidconnector. for engaglngand moving said .follower along said guidingmeans. toward said seat and cooperating with said guiding means forlocking the follower against removal from 10 said connector. 7

- DEAN E. WILLIAMS.

JOHN 0. E.

